Sunday 17 January

Sacred Valley – Inca Salt Mines and Moray Ruins

Stuart didn’t feel too well this morning and only had toast for breakfast and organised for a doctor to visit in the afternoon, but he still went on the bus trip. [He later felt better and cancelled the doctor for him, though others were seen by the doctor (altitude sickness is affecting various ones at various times).] Prior to the bus trip we were told that today’s and tomorrow’s programs were being swapped for our group, because another Scenic tour group is also here and the two groups were being kept separate when visiting the attractions. 

Urabumba is a town of about 20,000 people, though this isn’t obvious. The people speak the local Qhuecua pronounced 'Check-u-a") language and continue to follow traditions of the past (though the latest in technology is evident. The river is brown (dirt from further up the valley) and flows very fast. Our guides call it the Urabumba River (el Rio Urabumba), but it is also known as Vilcanota River (el Rio Vlicanota). Unfortunately it is also polluted, with rubbish flowing down. It collects along the river bank – not a pretty sight.

We went off to see Inca Salt Mines and Moray (Inca) ruins. To get to these sites, we had to climb (in the bus) over 500 m out of the valley and travel a bit less than 20km. Both of us feel fine – a slight headache, and breathlessness when walking uphill that we wouldn’t ordinarily get. We are drinking sports drinks (recommended because of the minerals, electrolytes and in particular, potassium, which aids greatly with enduring the rarefied air).

panoramic view across the entire site of salt pans from part-way down the other side

The Salt Mines are not what you would expect, but are around 1500 small (average around 4 sq m) terraces on a steep hillside into which mineralized spring water is let every few days over the dry/winter season. The water (5 times saltier than sea water) evaporates and the resultant salt is collected and bagged. It is now in high demand around the world. At this time of the year they aren’t harvesting much because the rain dilutes the water in the pans.

looking down on the salt pans

the white on the sides is  build-up of crusted salt

Following our visits to the salt Mines (where Lesley bought some alpaca wool jumpers for grandchildren Harriet and Zachary) we went to Moray, a pre-Inca ruins, believed to have been where different species of crops were tested as the site consists of three terraced depressions, the largest about 150m deep. The terraces consist of concentric circles, rising up the sides of the depression. The temperature at the bottom is 15 deg lower than at the top. A natural spring/water course at the top feeds water through channels to each terrace.

the main site in the largest natural depression

a second set of circles

a third set of circles

In Peru, there are grown over 3800 varieties of potatoes, 55 varieties of corn, wheat, barley and many more grain crops.  This variety of agriculture is possible due to the differences in elevation, climate and soil. Potatoes would have been grown here at the Moray site, and in fact there is a variety of potato called Moray.

tilling the soil with hand hoes in the traditional way

men ploughing in the traditional way

narrow streets and big coach - driving through the town of Moray

looking at early 20th century lintels in Moray

... and some sloppy white-washing!

this house belongs to someone important because of the decoration

rustic exterior (and even interior) with satellite dish (seen in background at top of arch)

statue in town square shows things important to the area - circles and ancient storage buildings

the back of the statue, showing salt pans and church

rustic house made of adobe

local school - notice painting on right of children saluting their country's flag

After lunch at the hotel Stuart retired for a snooze and Lesley went to the local markets with some other ladies to look around. This was a produce market, with beautiful fruits and veg, flowers, cheese, woven items and so on. Lots of locals were out shopping for their weekly needs.

Our evening meal was a tapas dinner (like our cocktail events with trays of food being brought around at intervals) with local musicians playing for us. They were good, and we enjoyed their music. Lesley bought a CD.

wall of back-lit thin marble behind the bar at hotel